The 1^st meeting of the Social Audit Advisory Body (SAAB) was held on 18^th January 2024 at conference hall, Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The Meeting was chaired by the Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment. This advisory body, a first of its kind, has been established to guide the Ministry in institutionalizing social audits for its various schemes.

Representatives from key ministries and academic institutions, including the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Department of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Rural Development, National Institute of Rural Development, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Delhi School of Social Work and Indian Institute of Public Administration are members of this advisory body.

The meeting commenced with a welcome address by the Director of the National Institute of Social Defense (NISD). Ms. Pratima Gupta, Deputy Director General of the Statistic Division of DoSJE -cum – convener of SAAB presented an overview of social audits, emphasizing on the importance of this social accountability tool in promoting transparency and accountability.

The Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor, Mr. Sanjay Pandey shared insights into the journey of institutionalizing social audits within the department, underscoring the commitment to ensuring effective implementation.

The Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment in the keynote address, highlighted the transformative power of social audit processes in raising community awareness and amplifying the voices of citizens. He emphasized the pivotal role of social audits in bringing transparency and driving corrective actions based on valuable feedback from citizens.

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has taken a pioneering step by establishing the National Resource Cell for Social Audit (NRCSA) to ensure social audits through dedicated Social Audit Units at the state level. The NRCSA team presented the approach of social audit processes developed and implemented by the department and their significant impact on the schemes' effective implementation.

Members of the SAAB provided valuable inputs to strengthen the social audit process and align it more closely with the principles of social justice. The Secretary-DoSJE commended the team for their dedicated work and new initiatives to social audits adopted and expressed his hope that the success of these social audits under DoSJE could also serve as a guiding example for other government departments.

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MG/MS/VL